Socially Challenged
by JillianWatson1058
Summary: Kakashi's forced to interact with others? Gai's forbidden from talking to Rock Lee? It's rivalry time! KakaGai friendship, no yaoi.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Eternal Rival!"

Kakashi lowered the orange book that was covering his face. "Yo."

It was a warm and sunny afternoon, and he was leaning against a wall near the main gate of Konoha. He had been planning to do some major reading, but had a feeling that this plan was about to go up in flames.

"The score is 60 to 60! It has been a week since we last faced off, which means it is time for another youthful challenge." Gai smiled blindingly and struck his signature "good guy" pose.

"Did you have something in mind, or is it my turn to choose?"

"Not quite either of those, actually. According to rivalry protocol, it _is_ my turn to choose, but I had a brilliant idea, one of my most ingenious, if I may say so."

Oh dear. If Gai thought it was ingenious, he was in serious trouble. "Do I dare ask what this idea is?"

"Most certainly! I will think of a challenge for you, and you will think of a different challenge for me. For example, I have a challenge in mind specifically suited to your skillset and personality. You, in turn, will find one specifically suited for me. It is both an obvious challenge and a challenge of how well we know and understand one another. If both of us fail, we shall both lose a point. If both of us succeed, we shall both gain a point, so nothing will have really changed. However, if one of us fails, that person will lose _two_ points, and the other will _gain_ two points, getting a four point lead. Are you in, my glorious rival?"

"Hmmm..." Kakashi's mind was already churning with thoughts of how he could torture Gai. "Fine."

They slapped hands and shook on it.

"Since I was the one to instigate this challenge, I shall proclaim mine first. It is only fair, since I had more time to think up your challenge, so you will at least get the partial advantage of knowing the difficulty of your task before you declare what mine is." He puffed up his chest and looked off into the distance majestically. "Kakashi, since I know you often shun social interactions and are constantly reading those books of yours, I crafted my challenge to try and curb those tendencies of yours." He pointed an exuberant finger at his friend. "I challenge you to spend 72 hours in the company of others, save for bathroom breaks, and not to read any Icha Icha. And, since you accepted the parameters of this task, I will be confiscating _that._" He grabbed the orange novel out of Kakashi's hands.

He took away Icha Icha? Oh, it was _on._ "Are you sure you want to do that, Gai? You know I can be a terror when I'm in a bad mood."

Gai's smile only grew wider. "Most definitely!"

"Fine. Your fault, then." His visible eye narrowed. "For your challenge, Gai…" He thought about it. What was worthy of giving up Icha Icha for three days? Ah. "For 72 hours, I forbid you from striking the 'good guy' pose, mentioning youth, and…" he grinned evilly behind his mask, "speaking to Rock Lee."

Swallowing, Gai raised a questioning finger. "May I at least warn Rock Lee of this, so as not to hurt his feelings, my yo- um, _enthusiastic_ rival?"

"No."

"_No?"_

"No. And when I say 'speaking,' I'm including written communication. Signing and hand motions are completely allowed, but remember, no 'good guy' pose."

"So be it! I shall still defeat you, my friend! Nothing you can say or do will defeat the Handsome Blue Beast of Konoha! We begin now! I shall meet you back here in 72 hours!"

As Gai ran off and Kakashi slowly walked toward the large group of people, signature slouch in place, he had to admit that Gai and he knew each other pretty well. Gai knew Kakashi wouldn't automatically take the challenge seriously, so the caveat that he had to constantly be with others was both a punishment and a way to keep him accountable. Devious. Of course, Kakashi didn't have to keep Gai accountable, since the "Handsome Blue Beast" would never want to win by cheating. Sucker.

One thing was for sure, though.

Gai was going _down._

* * *

**KakaGai is my BrOTP to end all BrOTPs, so this was bound to happen sometime. Naruto fanfic #3, here we come. This should be fun, so I hope some of you come along for the ride. Please drop a comment with any thoughts, suggestions, predictions, etc. I would LOVE to hear from you.**

**~JillianWatson1058**


	2. 72 Hours to Go

72 Hours to Go

True to his word, Kakashi strolled up to the group of shinobi walking by. "Yo." He raised his hand in a friendly wave and smiled behind his mask.

"Well, hey, Kakashi! Long time no see!" Genma exclaimed. "Thought you'd be holed up reading or something!"

Kakashi's smile shrank by a fraction. "Isn't it funny how things work out?"

"I'm glad you came out of your house for once," Genma whacked him on the back.

"Yeah," Tenzou interjected. "This way, you get to spend quality time with us, Kakashi-senpai!"

"All part of the master plan, Tenzou. Are you guys hungry?"

"Ravenous!"

* * *

The first thing Gai did was sprint to Kakashi's apartment. He knew his rival would have some tricks up his sleeve, and it would take all his power to stay ahead of him. He stood in the hall by the door. Now, the question was not if Kakashi _had_ traps around his apartment. The question was: how _many_ did he have?

Picking up a stone he found on the floor, he lightly tossed it at the doorknob. As he suspected, it violently exploded, and he raised a hand in front of his face to stop the shrapnel that was bouncing off every uncovered surface. One trap down.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Clone Gai poofed into being, running at the door with a leaf hurricane. The door rattled in its hinges, and six kunai shot from the walls, clearly intending for clone Gai's life to be short and painful. Instead, the clone twisted gracefully in midair, dodging the projectiles and landing a chakra-enhanced kick on the door. It splintered, leaving a large hole in the wood. Clone Gai disappeared, and Gai himself took a running leap at what was left of the door.

"Dynamic Entry!" The door didn't stand a chance. As Gai soared past the dilapidated doorframe, flames shot out from the floor. He pushed off the wall and somersaulted over the fire, landing sprawled on the floor of Kakashi's apartment, which melted away on impact. On instinct, his hands shot out and grabbed a floorboard that was still there, and he found himself hanging above a knitting old lady on the next floor down.

She looked up at the pair of legs in front of her face, raising a knitting needle threateningly.

"I apologize, good lady!" Gai replied. "I was simply taking part in a yo- um, _exciting_ challenge. I will depart with haste!"

"Get outa my house, ya crazy shinobi!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He pulled himself back up into the apartment, stepping onto solid floor. As soon as his foot left the gap, the circle of missing wood filled back in. At least he didn't have to worry about repairing his rival's floor after this. Now, where was Kakashi's Icha Icha collection?

He turned to his left, where a large bookshelf was standing against the wall. What better place to keep questionable reading material? He started searching. Not on the top shelf, not lower down either, not that one, not that one, what even _was_ that one? His eyes scanned volume after volume (_The Death of a Shinobi_\- glad _that_ one was sufficiently dusty), but no Icha Icha. Where w- Oh! It must be a henge! Gai hit the bookshelf with some chakra, immediately spotting five bright orange volumes. Hm. He hadn't thought it would be this easy.

* * *

Kakashi pulled his mask back over his face as he finished his plate of dango. Suddenly, he twitched. "_Gai,_" he growled.

"Hm?" Tenzou looked up from his plate. "What'up, senpai?"

"He touched my bookshelf."

Genma wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "So?"

"_No one_ touches my bookshelf." The copy ninja grabbed Tenzou, whose eyes widened in surprise, and made a hand sign. In a flurry of leaves, the two disappeared.

"Really?" Genma groaned. "This is all a ruse to make me pay for the bill, isn't it?"

* * *

Gai stuffed the books into a bag and turned to the door, only to come face to face with an infuriated Kakashi. "Eternal Rival! How unexpected!"

"Did you _really_ think I'd leave my home so unprotected?"

"Well, I thought the explosive tags, kunai, fire, and henge were pretty sufficient. The vanishing floor was a nice touch, as well. I expected nothing less from my rival!"

"Then you still expected too little. As soon as you undid the henge on that bookshelf, I was alerted of your presence."

Gai's eyes narrowed. "But did you come _alone?_ How do I know you didn't stop some solitary place along the way?"

Kakashi wordlessly pulled Tenzou into Gai's line of sight.

"Oh, how yo- eh, um, _spritely_ of you!"

"Spritely?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Gai looked down sheepishly. "I'm running out of synonyms."

"What a pity. Can you put those books back now?"

"Um," Tenzou interrupted. "Am I missing something? What's going on?"

Neither of the ninja acknowledged his presence.

"On the contrary, Kakashi, those books are not your property for 72 hours. I'm simply aiding you in your challenge. You should be grateful, in fact, that I'm assisting you."

"I'd be more grateful if my door was still in one piece and my books were on their proper shelf."

"Insignificant details! It is the _challenge _that is important!"

Sighing, Kakashi shook his head. "Fine. Take them. You might regret it, though. I think you'll need all the help you can get to beat me at this. After all, we're not even an hour in, and you're running out of synonyms for 'youthful.'"

"You may seem to have the upper hand to begin," Gai clapped a fist to his chest, "but I _will_ win in the end!"

"Careful about your hand motions, Gai." He grabbed the confused Tenzou again, whispering, "I wouldn't want you to lose too early, after all."

The Blue Beast glared at the whirlwind of leaves beginning to form. He clamped his arms to his sides. "You are wrong, Kakashi! I will be VICTORIOUS!"

The leaves didn't seem too impressed by Gai's determination, and fell softly around the man, skittering in lazy circles on the floor.

"He challenged the wrong man!"

The second thing Maito Gai did was buy a thesaurus.

* * *

As Kakashi pulled his former subordinate out of the whirlwind and into the street, Tenzou stepped out of Kakashi's grip. "All right, just _what_ is going on? What are you and Gai up to _this _time?"

"It's a challenge. That's all you need to know. Just don't be surprised if you see me more than you're used to. And _don't _get used to it."

Tenzou's face remained confused. "And you're seeing who can steal the other's stuff?"

There wasn't ever a rule against telling others about their challenges, but Kakashi liked seeing others very confused and wasn't one to willingly _stop_ them being confused. "If you see Gai around, make sure to ask him about the power of youth."

"That has _nothing _to do with my question, and I'm not _that_ suicidal, Kakashi! If at all possible, I'd like to keep both of my ears from being talked off."

"Your loss."

"Wait," crossing his arms, Tenzou looked more closely at his friend, "is this challenge why you dragged me along? Does that mean you're going to take me hostage again?"

"Eh." He shrugged noncommittally.

Tenzou just sighed. "You're both insane."

* * *

**Thoughts/comments? Who's going to win? Hope your day is awesome, wherever you are!**

**~JillianWatson1058**


	3. 68 Hours and Counting

68 Hours and Counting

Kakashi considered himself sufficiently caught up with the lives of Genma and Tenzou. While sitting in Tenzou's living room, he had heard about Genma's new girlfriend, the several S-ranked missions he had been on, the new set of senbon he had received for his birthday, and the new protocols at ANBU. After this riveting spiel, Tenzou had had ample time to discuss his stint with Team 7, his thoughts, concerns, and opinions (mostly that Kakashi's team was crazy), his new wood-style jutsu that he had created, how his taste in food had changed, and how he had gone through several unsuccessful relationships. Kakashi didn't mention that those relationships had probably fallen apart because of the terrifying faces Tenzou pulled whenever he wanted something. There was no reason to hurt the man's feelings, so Kakashi simply stored that information away for when it might come in handy in the future.

In other words, Kakashi had had quite enough of his ANBU buddies.

"So, what about you, Kakashi? What have you been up to since we last talked?"

"My team fell apart, which Tenzou already knows about, of course. I died, had a conversation with my dead sensei and dead teammates, and got resurrected. Other than that, not too much."

The two ninja fell silent. After several seconds, they exchanged uncomfortable glances. "Well," Tenzou volunteered, "I'm glad you got resurrected."

"That makes one of us, then," Kakashi muttered, standing up. "It's been fun, but it's getting dark. I think I'll just head out."

"Catch you later!"

"Yeah, see you around, Kakashi!"

As he got a foot out the door, it hit Kakashi that he couldn't actually leave without a chaperone. And there was no one in the street right now. Lovely. He turned around and sat back down in a chair facing the window.

"You're… sitting down again?" Tenzou's look of confusion was back.

"Yup." He smiled and said absolutely nothing else for the next ten minutes. Genma and Tenzou tried to make small talk, but the lack of response from their friend was frightening, to say the least. In the end, they just settled on awkwardly making eye contact with each other and glancing at Kakashi every now and then to make sure he was still breathing. When Kakashi finally stood up, they both let out the breaths they'd been holding.

"I'm leaving for real this time." He waved and stepped out the door.

Tenzou and Genma didn't even try to hide their looks of relief.

* * *

Shikamaru was taking a cool evening walk, enjoying the solitude it offered.

"Yo!"

Clearly, it didn't offer as much solitude as he was hoping. "Kakashi?"

"How's the shadow master doing tonight?"

He sighed. "Alright, I guess. How about you?" Why on _earth_ was Kakashi talking to him? He could count on one hand the number of times they'd voluntarily had conversations outside of missions.

"About the same."

"Good to hear."

"Where are you off to, then?"

"Um, I was just taking a walk before meeting up with Chouji and Ino."

"Wonderful! I haven't seen them in a while, so maybe I'll tag along. I heard you've been working on that Ino-Shika-Cho combo; is that right?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru's face lit up a bit. "We've been getting rather good at it, actually. Pretty soon it'll be ready to be used on missions regularly."

"I can't wait to see it in action sometime."

"I'm sure you will, soon enough."

They arrived at the Yamanaka flower shop, and Shikamaru pushed open the door. Ino was sitting on the counter, and Chouji was contentedly munching a bag of chips.

"Hey, Shika!"

"'Sup, Shikamaru?"

"Oh, you know, same as usual." He slouched against the nearest wall and watched the looks of bewilderment cross his friends' faces as Kakashi waltzed into the shop.

"Kakashi?" Forgetting his chips, Chouji looked over at Shikamaru, wordlessly searching for an explanation.

Shikamaru simply shrugged. "He followed me home?"

"Don't mind me," Kakashi gave his signature one-eyed smile. "I just thought I'd pop in and see how you were doing. Shikamaru's been telling me about that Ino-Shika-Cho combo."

"Yeah," Ino said slowly. "It's… it's good, Kakashi. Are you…" she floundered for some polite words to ask exactly what she was thinking. Why on earth are you here? Too blunt. You never talk to us. Why now? No, that sounded both accusatory and angry.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Um, y-yeah, sure. Down the hall, first door on your right."

"Thank you."

As the silver-haired man disappeared into the hallway, Ino rounded on Shikamaru. "Ok, seriously, _why_ is he here?"

"Beats me." He shrugged again. "Like I said, he just kinda followed me here."

"What's his deal? Is he trying to spy on us, make sure we're up to par on the Ino-Shika-Cho?"

Chouji had resumed his snacking.

"No, that's not it," said Shikamaru. "He seemed pretty impressed with what he'd heard, and he'd have no reason to figure out how good we were. Who would he report to? What would the point even be?"

"What if it's not Kakashi? What about someone pretending to be him?" Ino crossed her arms.

"Maybe, but again: what's the point?"

"But it _could_ be a spy," she insisted. "He's _definitely_ not _acting_ like Kakashi."

"If someone wanted to spy on us, they would have been someone other than Kakashi. There's no way they would've chosen to impersonate him, since everybody knows that we and Kakashi never talk."

"Maybe they're from another hidden village, and don't _know_ how often we and Kakashi hang out."

"That's ridiculous, for one main reason." Shikamaru crossed his arms, mirroring Ino's stance. "If someone was going to _pay_ someone to infiltrate Konoha, they wouldn't spy on _us._"

His friends sighed.

"I guess you're right."

Chouji stuffed another handful of chips into his mouth. "Well, _I_ think we're cool enough to spy on."

"So, what do you think _is_ up with Kakashi? He's not acting like himself."

Shikamaru smirked. "I have a theory."

"And what's that, then?"

"Gai. The only time you'll see Kakashi doing something stupid or weird is if Gai put him up to it. I bet this has something to do with a challenge."

"Weird challenge. I'm more for the classic eating contest, myself."

"No surprises there, Chouji."

"Hey, at least I'm consistent, unlike a certain masked weirdo."

"Masked weirdo?" Chouji flinched violently as Kakashi walked back into the room. "You shouldn't make fun of the ANBU, Chouji. They've never done anything to _you_… yet. "

The chubby boy shivered visibly.

Kakashi ignored him, smiling as he seated himself in a corner. "Well, carry on. Don't let me interrupt your conversation."

"Well," Ino sat back on the counter, "I heard from Hinata that Team 8 wants to spar with us sometime this week. What do you guys say?"

"We can totally take 'em! Let's do it!"

"Shika?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It's a bit troublesome, but we'll get to try out some of our new techniques, at least."

As they discussed battle strategies, they soon forgot about the time. They perfected their battle plans and moved on to village gossip, and then to their opinions of the graduating genin. Finally, after several hours of friendly conversation, Ino happened to glance over at their unusual visitor. "Wait a minute, guys. Is he _asleep?_"

"Looks like it."

"This is so weird," Ino shook her head. "I don't think I've seen him sleep before. To be honest, I was kinda convinced he _didn't_ sleep."

"Well, he _is_ human."

"That what _you_ think," Chouji said. "For all we know, he could be hiding tentacles under that mask of his."

Then they all stopped.

They looked at each other.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Shikamaru.

"There are very few times that I can say yes to that, "Chouji replied. "This is one of those times."

Ino smiled. "Sakura's gonna be so jealous that we saw his face before she did."

They stared at him.

"Do we just… go for it?"

"It just seems so… anticlimactic that way."

"Who cares?" Ino jumped off her perch. "If you won't, I will!" She tiptoed up to the sleeping jounin. "Here goes nothing," she whispered.

As she reached out a hand, Kakashi's eye flew open. She screamed, jumping back.

"Now, now," he drawled, "I didn't think I was quite _that_ frightening." He looked around to see the three of them crowded around him. "Wait, don't tell me." He sighed. "You were trying to see under my mask."

"Well…"

"Um…"

"Yeah, basically."

He rolled his eye. "Everyone's the same. Well, I guess I've intruded on your hospitality enough." He stood up and grabbed Shikamaru's collar. "I'll go bother someone else for a while." With a whirlwind of leaves, they disappeared.

"Did he just…"

"Take Shikamaru hostage? Yep."

"Huh."

* * *

**Thanks for sticking with me so far, y'all. More fun to come, I promise! If you're in the mood (or even if you're not; I'm not picky), drop me a review and tell me what you thought. **

**Stay awesome.**

**~JillianWatson1058**


	4. 64 Hours

64 Hours

It was one in the morning, and Gai was appalled at how few synonyms there were for "youthful." He had run around town, asking others what the best thesaurus was with much enthusiasm. Throughout this course of action, he had received many looks of confusion, more disturbed looks than he cared to count, and no solid opinions on the thesaurus issue. It truly was sad how un-literary the village of Konoha was. In the end, he had run to the bookstore and asked the shopkeeper his opinion. Since there were only three in stock, the shopkeeper's opinion hadn't actually mattered, and Gai had purchased all three. After eating a healthy dinner, he had high-tailed it back to his apartment, not seeing Rock Lee on the way. He had flopped on his bed and poured through the thesauruses, underlining promising synonyms. Then, of course, he had tried some on for size.

"Vernal rival!"

It had a nice ring to it.

"What a budding competition!"

Could be worse, he supposed. Either way, that would have to do. He would have to get a good night of sleep to make sure he was ready for meeting his star student. Oh, what was he going to do? Kakashi may have appeared to have backed him into a corner, but it was a well-known fact that the Blue Beast of Konoha never fought better than when the odds were stacked against him.

And if it wasn't well-known, it was about to be.

* * *

Two men stepped out of a flurry of leaves in the middle of a deserted road. The one with a spiky black ponytail turned toward the taller one and sighed. "Well, this is troublesome. Did your challenge really require you to kidnap me?"

"Not in so many words," Kakashi replied with a smile, "but basically, yes."

"So I was right about the challenge, then?"

"Yes, as you are about most things, my friend. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a dog to summon." He bit his thumb and bent down to slam his hand on the ground. Immediately, a small pug popped into existence.

"What's up, kid? You don't look like you're in danger."

"I'm in danger of losing a challenge if you don't help me."

The pug's eyes widened. "Oh kami, not Gai again."

"C'mon, you in?"

"Not unless you promise me there will be _no_ hair bows, _no_ curlers, and absolutely _no_ spandex."

Shikamaru snorted.

Pakkun rounded on him. "Now, you listen here, pineapple head. If word of my wearing those things _ever_ gets out into general knowledge, I will _hunt you down_, understand?"

"Understood. No need to get your tail in a knot." He continued to smirk.

"And just for the record, Kashi-kun, dressing me up as a snooty lap dog was _not_ a suitable way to infiltrate an exclusive night club, and we are _not_ doing that again."

"I won't make you do it again," Kakashi relented, "although, I must say, it was very effective. No one expects a dog to go around and unlock a back door."

"Don't even _think_ about it. The number of ladies who tried to pick me up was appalling."

"I know, I know. I promise this one's not that involved. Are you in?"

Tilting his head to the side, Pakkun appeared to think about for a minute. Then he sighed. "Yeah, you know I am, kid."

"Perfect!" He leaned down to pick up the dog, then looked over at Shikamaru. "Thanks for the help, kid. See you around!" As he raised a finger in salute, the too-familiar cloud of leaves took them away.

Shikamaru stood for a minute, hands in pockets, just staring at where they had been. "Really? I have to walk all the way back now?" He shook his head, muttering, "Troublesome."

* * *

Kakashi's apartment appeared around him, and he set Pakkun on the floor to walk around. "Ok, here's the deal: I've got to be supervised 24 hours a day for three days, and I can't read Icha Icha for those three days."

"And you _agreed_ to this?"

"Oh, don't worry, It's going to be worth it. I made Gai stop talking about youth, striking the 'good guy' pose, and talking to Rock Lee. He's getting his comeuppance."

"Man, just take away the green spandex, too, and I don't think Gai would continue to exist. Are you sure it wasn't a little bit harsh to keep him away from Rock Lee, though?"

"Eh, they'll figure it out. And he took away _Icha Icha, _so he had it coming. It's only three days, anyway. Hey, how long does the summon last for, again? I want to get some sleep in without being surrounded by people who want to take my mask off."

"'Bout five hours, usually. Why don't you just hang with us for the whole time? We'd keep you company."

"Yeah, it'd be an easy win that way, but I feel like Gai would make us do a rematch if he found out that you were the only people I saw, and there is no _way_ I'm doing this for _another_ 72 hours."

"Suit yourself. I'll wake you up before I go, then?"

"Yeah, sounds good." With that, he took off his mask, vest, and sandals, and crawled into bed. "See you in five hours."

"Sleep tight, kid."

* * *

Ah, the break of dawn. Gai could almost feel the vibrancy of the sunlight before he opened his eyes. In front of him, rays of sunlight found their way around his curtain, painting happy, bright patterns on his walls and covers. He sprang out of bed and pulled the curtain aside from his window. The streets of Konoha were empty, but birds were already fluttering about, singing quiet and cheerful songs. Yes, there truly was nothing quite like getting up with the sun. He would be starting the day's training with his… adolescent students soon. His heart sank slightly at the thought of facing Rock Lee. He wasn't sure how they would pull it off, but he was sure they would!

He pulled on a clean green spandex suit, slid on his leg warmers, and walked out his front door. As he took a deep breath of the sweet morning air, he felt his confidence rising. He knew what to do. He would just tell Neji about the challenge, and trust that he would tell Rock Lee. Perfect! See, the problem was much simpler than it originally appeared! He picked up his pace, a visible spring in his step.

"Yo!"

Gai turned around to see the copy ninja walking behind him, pug running beside. "Ah, I see you are enjoying this lively morning, as well, oh vernal rival!"

Kakashi fell into step beside him. "Vernal, huh? Someone found a thesaurus, I take it."

"Indeed I have! But I don't see anyone with you."

"That's why I've got Pakkun here." He leaned down and patted the dog on the head. The dog jerked his head to the side, indignant at being patted in public. He was a _summon,_ for kami's sake!

Gai's eyes narrowed. "But, he's a dog, and not a person."

"I believe your exact words were that I had to be 'in the company of others.' You didn't really specify a species."

"Well, you know what I _meant!_"

"I did, which is why I only hung out with Pakkun during the night. After Team 10 tried to de-mask me, I figured it was ok to call in reinforcements."

Gai sighed. "Fair enough. But you had better be with other _humans_ the rest of the time, Kakashi."

"Understood. Do you mind if I tag along for your training this morning?"

"Not at all! I look forward to showing you how my students who are in the springtimes of their lives have been improving."

"I look forward to it." Kakashi gave a one-eyed smile, and Gai returned his own smile whole-heartedly, making sure to keep his hands at his sides. Of course, Gai failed to see the look of mischief growing behind Kakashi's mask.

* * *

**So, school's started again, so updates will probably be more spread out, just to give you a heads-up. Please let me know what you think, and have a spectacular day!**

**~JillianWatson1058**


	5. 59 Hours

59 Hours

After Kakashi took a few steps down the road with Gai, Pakkun silently disappeared. Kakashi turned his head at the puff of smoke, and then kept walking. "So, Gai," he drawled, "are you looking forward to speaking with your star student?"

"Very funny, Kakashi. I can see that you are budding with energy this morning! And, so that you won't worry about myself and Rock Lee, I should tell you that I have a brilliant plan!"

"Oh, really?" His eyebrow quirked.

"Yes! It is so great that it _cannot_ fail! I cannot imagine how I failed to think of it sooner!"

"I'm glad you're so confident, Gai, but don't forget who you're dealing with."

"How can I forget? You are my eternal rival, and I must be as brilliant as you in order to win this challenge!" He clenched a raised fist. "Maito Gai will not be defeated, no matter how brilliant the opponent!"

Kakashi just blinked at him.

"You're so _hip!_" He closed his eyes, manly tears streaming down his face momentarily. Then he gathered himself together again. As they approached a fenced-in area of grass, Gai spread his hands out in front of him. "Behold, the training grounds of the glorious Team 8! The home of the vigorous and dedicated! The birthplace of beauty and liveliness! The-"

"I get it, Gai, thank you. I see you've gotten ahold of a thesaurus?"

"Yes, three! And I have perused them thoroughly!"

"Oh, dear."

Gai stepped back, then kicked open the latch on the chain link gate with a shout, and the two men walked into the training area. "Do you have to repair the gate every time, then?" asked Kakashi.

"Of course! I wouldn't want to leave things worse off than I found them. That would be unkind and impolite!" He strode over to a log and promptly sat down. Kakashi joined him. "Now, we have about an hour before my students arrive. I usually like to come early so I can enjoy some peace and quiet and be there in case someone needs to talk to me alone before we start."

"Interesting idea. Coming early. Novel, really."

"Of course, I know your technique of coming late works just as well. Clearly, you want to encourage team bonding even before you arrive, and want to keep your students alert and on their toes, since they never know exactly when you're going to arrive."

"Actually, I just like bugging them and sleeping in."

"Your attitudes are so puerile! If only I could be the same!"

"Um, I know that's a synonym for youthful, but I'm pretty sure that's an insult. You just called both of us childish."

"So I did! I shall have to work even harder to find more suitable words!"

"So, we've got an hour to kill, then, huh?" Kakashi reached in his pocket, then pulled his hand back out with a look of disappointment. "You're a cruel person, Gai."

"On the contrary, I am not cruel; I am simply helping you overcome something that is holding you back, my rival!"

"Icha Icha is holding me back."

"Yes!"

"From what, exactly?"

"Vibrant life!"

If he was looking for something _vibrant_, he'd want his books back. "And how is that?"

"You know perfectly well how it holds you back! You use those books as an excuse to push people away and not interact with them. You don't spend time with your old friends. What about Genma, Raido, and Tenzou?"

"I spent a couple hours with them last night, and let me inform you: I would die for those men without a second thought, but I would die of _boredom_ if I had to listen to them ramble on and on for a second more."

"Well, eternal rival, let me cure your boredom!" He leapt up from the log. "Until my students come, I challenge you to a duel using only taijutsu."

"Isn't this whole thing a challenge? Do we have to do another one?"

"Come now, Kakashi, you love looking 'underneath the underneath,' so why not a 'challenge within a challenge'?"

"Fine. Better than sitting here." With a soft grunt, he stood up from the log. "Are you ready?"

"I am _always_ ready for a challenge! If I do not win, I will do 200 pushups with you sitting on my back!"

They both crouched, then sprang into action. Gai sent a kick in the direction of Kakashi's face, which he blocked with two arms crossed in front. As he grabbed Gai's oncoming fist, he launched a punch toward Gai's stomach, but the man spun out of the way. His leg headed for the Kakashi's back, and the copy ninja ducked, forming the sign of the tiger. "10,000 years of death!" Gai jumped out of the way and began a barrage of fists that Kakashi began to swat away. They continued this way for the next hour, getting a few hits each, but mostly being blocked by each other every time. Finally, Kakashi landed a kick that sent Gai sprawling onto the ground.

"Gai-sensei!" Rock Lee ran onto the grass. "Are you alright?"

Gai was about to lift up a hand in a thumbs up, but quickly put his hand back on the ground and nodded instead.

"Just a taijutsu match," Kakashi explained. "Nothing to worry about, Lee. What's the score now, or does this not count, since it's a 'challenge within a challenge'?"

"Of course it counts!" Gai picked himself off the ground. "You bested me at a taijutsu fight, a rare accomplishment-"

"Not _that_ rare!" Kakashi protested, indignant.

"So it will be reflected in the score. 60 to 61," he pointed at Kakashi enthusiastically, "in your favor, my rival!"

"Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei." Neji walked up to the three of them, nodding his head in deference.

Tenten followed him into the training grounds. "Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei? No offense, I mean, it's just, you know, a bit unusual to see you around."

Raising a hand up to reassure her, he replied. "No offense taken. I was bored and figured I might help out with your training. Nothing quite like seeing a new face every now and then to freshen things up."

"Exactly! And to begin our fresh training, we'll split up into groups to spar. Tenten, you and Rock Lee can be a pair, and Neji can-"

"Spar with me!" Kakashi cut in, smiling widely. At least, they all assumed he was smiling widely. It was immediately apparent to Kakashi that Gai meant to tell his other students about the challenge, and have one of them pass the message on to Rock Lee. Simple, but effective. However, plans that were simple to think up were also simple to foil, a fact that Kakashi took quite a bit of pleasure in. "After all, it's not every day I get the chance to spar with a Hyuuga."

Gai looked slightly flustered, but, to his credit, managed to hide it reasonably well. "Alright, then. Go ahead and split into your groups." As they separated, each finding a suitable fighting area, he held up a finger. "On my count: One! Two! Three! Begin!"

The pairs immediately morphed into two masses of fists, legs, and shuriken. Gai noted that Tenten's weapon handling was getting even better, and Rock Lee was on top form, as usual. Glancing to his right, he saw his rival dodging Neji's rapid palms and attempting to get an in. It was turning out to be a heated battle, one tactical genius against another. Gai was pleased to see that his student was resolutely holding his own against his rival. After 15 minutes of this, he raised his voice. "Stop!" The four of them ceased their attacks, panting slightly. "Well done, all of you! The flame of nonage-"

Kakashi snorted.

"-burns brightly in all of you. Now, let us rearrange the pairs. Rock Lee and Neji will be together, and-"

"And I will be sparring with Tenten!" Kakashi's smile was brighter than before, and Gai rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably.

"Very good," he said. "Take two minutes to get your breath back, then split up into your second groups."

Another round of intense fighting followed, until Gai once again signaled them to stop. "Alright, my vigorous students, this time-"

"I will be facing both Neji and Tenten, and Gai will face Rock Lee." He looked over at Gai innocently. "Is that alright?"

"Eh, um, of course!" They divided into sparring groups, and Gai was convinced that Kakashi looked much too happy to be outnumbered. "On my count!" He smiled at Rock Lee. "One! Two! Three!"

They began to fight, Rock Lee matching Gai punch for punch. The Blue Beast couldn't help but feel proud as he saw how well his star student was doing. After 15 minutes of heavy barrages of attacks, they stopped. Rock Lee straightened up, panting slightly. "How did I do, Gai-sensei?"

Gai smiled and nodded vigorously.

Rock Lee paused for a moment, expecting his teacher to go off on a rant. When none came, his face fell ever so slightly. "I was using the new technique you showed me; did you notice?"

Gai nodded again.

"Did- did I do something wrong?" He was confused. Something was very odd.

Gai shook his head violently, about to strike up the "good guy" pose, and had actually lifted one hand in the air, but caught himself. Instead, he opted for awkwardly swinging the arm back down to his side and smiling widely. He saw Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see the copy ninja watching him intently.

"O-ok, then." Lee's face of disappointment was like a shuriken lodged in Gai's oversized heart.

"Alright, everyone!" He called them together, and noted with a small amount of pleasure that Kakashi was sporting some bruises from taking on his kids two-on-one. Not enough pleasure to take the Rock Lee-sized shuriken out of his heart, but it definitely helped. "You all did _very well_." He looked pointedly at Rock Lee. "However, that brings us to the end of today's practice. Go home, rest, eat up, and do many vernal activities. I shall see you all tomorrow morning, same time, same place! Have a spectacular afternoon, my students!"

"Farewell, Gai-sensei!"

"See ya!"

Thank you for practice, Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei."

With that, the three kids turned to each other in conversation as they walked away. Gai tried to catch Neji's eye, but to no avail. Which, considering that Neji possessed the byakugan, meant that the Hyuuga was probably ignoring him. He sighed. Would _nothing_ go right today?

"So," Kakashi stepped up beside him, "How's that brilliant plan going for you?"

Gai's fist clenched. "You may have won this round, but I am not defeated yet!"

"We'll see about that, now won't we?"

As Gai's face clouded in a rare moment of anger, Kakashi took a small step back. "I _will_ find a way to communicate with Rock Lee, no matter how many people you try to keep me from talking to." Rock Lee's face of dejection wormed its way into his mind. "This was a low blow, but you will be beaten _soundly_, my cruel rival!"

_Cruel_ rival? That was new. Kakashi had a fleeting thought of his Icha Icha which was still in Gai's possession, and momentarily regretted angering Gai so much.

Maybe he shouldn't have goaded him on this much?

Nah.

They'd figure it out.

* * *

**Another chapter up, just in time for exam week! Please let me know your thoughts/comments/suggestions/predictions. You all rock!**

**~JillianWatson1058**


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